The River and the Sea

Wren's eyes shot open and he gasped for air, as though he had been drowning and this was the first breath he took. All he could see when his vision cleared was the bright blue sky with wisps of clouds running across it as he panted, trying to regulate his breathing. He couldn't help but wonder, Where is she?

He sat up, slowly, looking around. He had been lying in the middle of a field of tall grass and occasional sunflowers. There were little houses in the distance, standing perfectly on cliffs and for some reason, he could hear the crashing of waves in the distance. They didn't live near the ocean.

"Where am I?" he muttered to himself, standing up and instinctively tugging on his ratty old Pearl Jam shirt that he felt like he'd been wearing for days.